Texas Park Ranger Training and Degree Requirements

Texas park rangers work in some of the most scenic environments in the state. Unfortunately, drug runners, human traffickers, and general unruly members of the public also tend to frequent these areas. Park rangers must be on alert and able to respond to any situation as it arises, especially in parks that span the international maritime or land borders of Texas.

Whether during a marijuana seizure or an undercover sting operation, park rangers in Texas rely on their education, training, and natural abilities to protect the state’s natural areas and those who enjoy them.

Employed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, park rangers in Texas work in some of the nicest places in the state, including:

Mustang Island State Park

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Garner State Park

Lost Maples State Natural Area

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Meeting the Requirements to Join the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Education and Other Qualifications – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department prefers that job candidates for park ranger positions hold a bachelor’s degree earned through an accredited college or university in one of these majors:

Park Administration

Recreation and Parks

Public Administration

Natural Resource Management and Interpretation

Cultural Resource Management and Interpretation

Anthropology

Archeology

Biology

History

Wildlife/Fisheries Science

It is always a good idea to meet the preferred degree qualifications, which go above and beyond the basic requirements. The minimum requirements do not stipulate a specific degree major:

A bachelor’s degree in any subject through an accredited institution

A good moral history

No convictions for serious crimes

Completing the Application – Candidates need to complete their application for park ranger jobs online through the Texas Parks and Wildlife employment website. This is done by finding a vacant park ranger posting on the list of current vacancies and then applying through the announcement. If there are no current vacancies, applicants can register with Parks and Wildlife to be notified when these occur.

If applicants manage to initially distinguish themselves above their competition, they will be contacted and proceed through additional steps in the application process, which include:

Interview

Background investigation

Drug test

Physical and psychological evaluation

Texas Park Ranger Training – Although park ranger positions are classified under the same job title, there are many different types ranging from historical guides or interpreters to those who focus more on the enforcement of rules and regulations. Generally, park rangers will be trained to be proficient in skills like:

The Option to Become a Federal Park Ranger in Texas

There is also a federal option to become a park ranger in Texas with the National Parks Service (NPS). NPS park rangers are responsible for managing the two national parks in Texas:

Guadalupe Mountains National Park near El Paso

Big Bend National Park on the Rio Grande US-Mexico international border

Federal park rangers can also work anywhere they are needed, and are not solely confined to maintaining the state’s national parks. Because NPS is a completely separate agency from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, prospective federal candidates will need to submit their applications through job announcements posted on the federal government’s employment website.

Just like park rangers at the state level, there are a variety of different kinds of federal rangers. In general, applicants must be US citizens, and entry-level positions require meeting ONE of the following conditions:

Bachelor’s degree in a subject related to the specific park ranger job

One year of specialized work experience in a field closely related to the specific park ranger position

Recent Park Ranger Crime Fighting Initiatives in Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas, and unfortunately this can often include the crimes committed in the state’s parks.

Park rangers in Cameron County recently arrested two men on charges stemming from 383 pounds of marijuana the rangers witnessed being loaded from a boat into a waiting vehicle. The bust occurred near Edwin King Atwood Park near the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, about ten nautical miles from the border.

Drug smuggling has long been a problem faced by law enforcement in Texas, and when this takes place in state or national park territory it becomes a problem within the purview and jurisdiction of park rangers. Drug cartels are always searching for the easiest way into the United States, and this is sometimes calculated to be places like Big Bend National Park along the Rio Grande. Using canine units combined with the latest technology, park rangers have arrested numerous individuals and made drug busts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in this park along the Texas-Mexico border.

In another operation designed to curb public instances of indecent exposure in the parks around San Antonio, park rangers recently arrested more than 900 suspects on charges related to just that. In undercover teams of two and in cooperation with local law enforcement, park rangers have conducted numerous sting operations around the San Antonio area, busting those who would engage in explicit activity in public parks.

Texas Park Ranger Salaries

Park rangers in Texas work for Texas Parks & Wildlife and are responsible for managing and operating the state’s 95 parks which span more than 600,000 acres of land. There are currently five rank levels among the state’s park rangers, the average salary of which $39,677.

Here is a more detailed look at Texas park ranger salaries by level of rank:

Park Ranger I

Minimum: $30,532

Maximum: $46,995

Park Ranger II

Minimum: $34,233

Maximum: $52,729

Park Ranger III

Minimum: $38,745

Maximum: $61,644

Park Ranger IV

Minimum: $44,272

Maximum: $70,576

Park Ranger V

Minimum: $50,601

Maximum: $80,802

For those interested in upward mobility to a management position, here is the salary structure of park managers in Texas:

Park Superintendent I

Minimum: $44,272

Maximum: $70,576

Park Superintendent II

Minimum: $47,331

Maximum: $75,516

Park Superintendent III

Minimum: $50,601

Maximum: $80,802

Park Superintendent IV

Minimum: $54,102

Maximum: $86,458

Park Superintendent V

Minimum: $57,846

Maximum: $92,511

The tables here are to provide more salary information regarding the various roles of park rangers in Texas:

Recreation Workers Salaries in Texas

Area name

Employment

Hourly mean wage

Annual mean wage

Hourly median wage

Hourly 75th percentile wage

Hourly 90th percentile wage

Annual median wage

Annual 75th percentile wage

Annual 90th percentile wage

Abilene TX

60

11.75

24430

11.05

13.70

16.73

22980

28500

34790

Amarillo TX

100

14.18

29500

13.89

16.46

18.29

28890

34230

38050

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX

1350

13.10

27240

11.35

16.41

21.19

23600

34130

44080

Beaumont-Port Arthur TX

160

15.11

31420

11.94

17.82

28.90

24830

37060

60110

Brownsville-Harlingen TX

200

9.26

19260

8.49

9.08

12.58

17660

18890

26170

College Station-Bryan TX

960

8.54

17760

8.54

9.10

9.44

17760

18940

19640

Corpus Christi TX

370

9.38

19500

8.93

10.19

11.86

18580

21190

24670

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX

3250

12.21

25390

10.71

14.48

19.89

22280

30110

41360

Dallas-Plano-Irving TX Metropolitan Division

2160

12.23

25430

10.90

14.29

19.77

22680

29730

41110

El Paso TX

350

10.04

20880

9.00

11.48

14.43

18720

23880

30010

Fort Worth-Arlington TX Metropolitan Division

1090

12.16

25300

9.89

15.12

20.17

20570

31450

41960

Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown TX

2970

11.26

23420

9.75

13.22

17.57

20280

27490

36540

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood TX

150

13.07

27180

11.86

16.56

19.57

24670

34440

40710

Laredo TX

90

10.16

21130

9.64

11.15

13.57

20050

23190

28230

Longview TX

100

10.34

21500

9.26

11.68

14.58

19250

24300

30320

Lubbock TX

130

11.06

23000

9.19

14.59

17.10

19100

30350

35580

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX

470

10.03

20860

9.16

11.60

13.97

19040

24120

29060

Midland TX

40

11.74

24410

10.39

14.50

18.98

21610

30150

39470

Odessa TX

80

10.28

21380

9.25

11.72

15.30

19240

24370

31830

San Angelo TX

60

11.42

23750

10.25

14.48

16.99

21320

30110

35340

San Antonio-New Braunfels TX

1590

10.55

21940

9.46

12.12

15.33

19680

25210

31890

Tyler TX

170

14.81

30800

11.36

16.29

21.50

23630

33880

44710

Victoria TX

80

9.16

19050

8.71

9.35

11.78

18120

19460

24500

Waco TX

160

12.60

26220

12.39

16.08

18.34

25780

33450

38140

Wichita Falls TX

100

10.59

22030

9.17

12.89

15.28

19070

26820

31790

Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area

300

11.67

24280

10.34

13.60

17.87

21510

28290

37180

North Central Texas nonmetropolitan area

130

10.90

22680

9.81

13.32

16.56

20410

27710

34440

Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area

350

11.63

24190

10.08

14.03

17.41

20970

29180

36210

Central Texas nonmetropolitan area

430

10.48

21790

9.14

12.24

15.76

19020

25450

32770

Southern Texas nonmetropolitan area

470

8.91

18540

8.59

9.18

10.38

17860

19090

21590

Gulf Coast Texas nonmetropolitan area

360

10.14

21090

8.62

9.26

16.47

17930

19260

34260

Tour Guides and Escorts Salaries in Texas

Area name

Employment

Hourly mean wage

Annual mean wage

Hourly median wage

Hourly 75th percentile wage

Hourly 90th percentile wage

Annual median wage

Annual 75th percentile wage

Annual 90th percentile wage

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX

230

12.47

25930

11.47

14.09

19.33

23850

29310

40200

Corpus Christi TX

70

8.90

18510

8.63

9.25

11.51

17950

19250

23930

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX

350

11.77

24470

10.50

13.40

19.49

21840

27880

40540

Dallas-Plano-Irving TX Metropolitan Division

250

11.72

24380

9.94

13.56

20.35

20680

28200

42320

Fort Worth-Arlington TX Metropolitan Division

100

11.87

24700

11.11

13.24

14.72

23110

27530

30610

Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown TX

270

11.09

23060

9.17

11.58

17.42

19070

24080

36230

San Antonio-New Braunfels TX

190

10.28

21380

9.42

11.57

14.62

19600

24060

30410

Central Texas nonmetropolitan area

30

9.46

19670

9.11

10.63

12.40

18940

22110

25800

Recreational Protective Service Workers Salaries in Texas

Area name

Employment

Hourly mean wage

Annual mean wage

Hourly median wage

Hourly 75th percentile wage

Hourly 90th percentile wage

Annual median wage

Annual 75th percentile wage

Annual 90th percentile wage

Abilene TX

Estimate Not Released

8.86

18420

8.61

9.22

12.55

17900

19180

26100

Amarillo TX

90

8.28

17220

8.46

9.02

9.45

17590

18770

19650

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX

750

9.34

19420

9.09

10.50

11.61

18920

21840

24160

Corpus Christi TX

90

8.86

18430

8.66

9.29

11.43

18000

19310

23770

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX

3440

8.91

18540

8.75

9.56

11.17

18210

19880

23220

Dallas-Plano-Irving TX Metropolitan Division

2440

8.90

18520

8.72

9.43

11.18

18140

19620

23260

Fort Worth-Arlington TX Metropolitan Division

1000

8.93

18580

8.83

9.95

11.14

18370

20690

23170

Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown TX

2590

8.67

18030

8.64

9.27

10.75

17980

19280

22360

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood TX

130

8.65

18000

8.63

9.26

10.80

17960

19260

22460

Lubbock TX

110

8.68

18060

8.79

9.45

10.80

18280

19660

22460

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX

80

8.13

16920

8.44

8.96

9.27

17560

18630

19280

Midland TX

110

9.52

19810

9.54

10.75

11.46

19850

22350

23850

San Antonio-New Braunfels TX

1410

9.13

18990

8.89

10.19

11.40

18480

21190

23710

Tyler TX

Estimate Not Released

8.49

17660

8.50

9.11

10.48

17680

18950

21800

Victoria TX

50

9.35

19450

9.20

10.62

11.47

19140

22090

23860

Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area

200

9.74

20250

8.66

9.35

16.50

18010

19450

34330

North Central Texas nonmetropolitan area

60

8.31

17290

8.56

9.11

9.44

17800

18960

19640

Central Texas nonmetropolitan area

140

8.71

18130

8.75

9.49

10.93

18200

19730

22730

Gulf Coast Texas nonmetropolitan area

80

8.49

17670

8.52

9.10

10.20

17710

18930

21210

Amistad National Recreation Area

Every year more than one million visitors enjoy the water, hiking, camping, and cultural heritage of Amistad National Recreation Area. As a maritime border between the United State and Mexico, the Amistad Reservoir provides an exquisite setting for those who enjoy the great outdoors. However, because the border is so porous in this area, those engaged in illegal drug smuggling also take advantage of the cover provided by trees and rock embankments to elude law enforcement. Park rangers working in a law enforcement capacity in the Amistad National Recreation Area are charged with ensuring that visitors are safe while also bringing justice to those who break the law.

Early research into how to become a park ranger in the Amistad National Recreation Area (NRA) with the National Parks Service will prepare prospective rangers for a career of service in a work environment that includes:

4,000-old rock art

Parida and Panther Caves

A museum with the third-largest national park collection of prehistoric artifacts

Monarch butterfly migration route

Wintering site for many waterfowl

Working in the Amistad National Recreation Area

Park rangers face a unique set of challenges posed by the Amistad NRA, which can often be rewarding.

Rangers were dispatched after receiving reports of a woman who fell in the Pecos River Canyon and fractured her leg. Park rangers determined the best way to rescue the woman was by lowering her with ropes down the rest of the canyon to a rescue boat that would be stationed below on the Pecos River. An air rescue was ruled out because of the canyon’s jagged walls, the approaching night, and a severe storm that was gripping the area. Ultimately rangers made a successful rescue and the hiker was transferred to a nearby hospital in Del Rio.

Park rangers supporting law enforcement operations busted four men transporting over 500 pounds of marijuana across Lake Amistad. Rangers became suspicious when they spotted the suspects in a boat at the end of a cove.

In a related case, a man was recently sentenced for his role in a drug smuggling operation in the national recreation area. As part of his plea, the suspect admitted he was a key member of a cartel which was responsible for smuggling more than 22,000 pounds of cocaine from Mexico into Texas via the Amistad NRA.

Park rangers also participate in family events that take place throughout the Amistad NRA, including fishing tournaments, pictograph interpretations, and guided tours. In the year 2014 there are already over 160 scheduled fishing tournaments. During these events park rangers make water rescues as needed while also conducting maritime patrols to ensure boaters are being safe and following the rules. Anglers are also allowed to transit into Mexican waters and fish if they obtain a permit. Some of the most popular fish in Amistad Lake include:

Black Bass

Striped Bass

White Bass

Catfish

Yellow Catfish

Big Bend National Park

The Chihuahua Desert and Rio Grande feature prominently in Big Bend National Park. Spanning the international boundary between Texas and Mexico, this historic area covers over 1,200 square miles and is home to 450 species of birds. Every year between 290,000-375,000 people visit Big Bend National Park.

Working with the National Parks Service as a park ranger in Big Bend can be both challenging and rewarding. Park rangers lead visitor programs, rescue lost hikers, and patrol for illegal activity, which includes illegal border crossings.

The National Parks Service in Big Bend strives to create an environment that fosters safe wildlife appreciation while ensuring border security. The federal agency does this by ensuring the park rangers it employs are capable of meeting the unique challenges posed by Big Bend.

Park Ranger Operations in Big Bend National Park

Rescue – Park rangers in Big Bend face a variety of challenges posed by the park’s unique location. Recently an amateur hiker experiencing dehydration had to be rescued after spending just a few hours in the park and underestimating the power of the sun. Unfortunately park visitors die from heat exhaustion every few years, and this is one of the primary concerns of park rangers. Every year rangers conduct between six and 10 major search-and-rescue missions and dozens of additional smaller ones.

A search airplane was recently deployed to find a man who had become lost in canyons near the Rio Grande when he did not report back according to the hiking plan he had filed with a base camp station. Rangers spotted the man, who had made a signal fire, and radioed for a rescue helicopter. After three days in the desert the man had lost 16 pounds and survived by drinking cactus nectar. Park rangers were able to bring him to his waiting family for a tearful reunion.

Smuggling – Besides the unique challenges posed by Big Bend’s climate, its status as a trans-border wilderness area can also invite illegal smuggling activity. Park rangers must remain constantly on guard to counter this threat. Of all the regions along the US-Mexico border, the Big Bend sector counts the least number of apprehensions for illegal crossers and the least number of border patrol and CBP agents. Every year thousands of pounds of in-transit marijuana are seized in the park, and the people carrying these illegal drug shipments can also be dangerous.

Ranger Programs – Park rangers also have the opportunity to lead personal tours and group activities. Each day entails new events for park visitors to enjoy, with the recent schedule including:

Desert naturalist lecture covering the wildlife, fauna, and geology of the Chihuahua Desert

Explanation of the different peoples who have lived in the area for over 10,000 years

Big Bend mountain lion lecture and tour

Birdwatching tours

Star navigation

Cedar Hills State Park

Tucked into the southwest suburbs of Dallas, Cedar Hill State Park is one of the most popular places of its kind in all of Texas. Comprised of over 1,800 acres of green space along the banks of Joe Pool Lake, the park offers a quick getaway for city dwellers and anyone else interested in enjoying its maritime activities, camping, hiking, or mountain biking.

Park rangers employed with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are instrumental in keeping Cedar Hill running smoothly and safely, as well as leading several programs that take visitors through the park’s rich history and wildlife diversity:

Penn Farm Tour

Talala Trail Hike

Birding basics

Wilderness survival course for kids

Plant, reptile, and mammal tour

Introduction to fishing

Parking Ranger Job Duties in Cedar Hill State Park

Park rangers ensure the relationship between the public and the park’s wildlife is safe for all involved and that all operations run efficiently. The DORBA mountain bike trail is known throughout the region as being one of the most enjoyable and largest trails of its kind in Texas, covering 1,200 acres and stretching on for 15 miles. Park rangers make sure riders do not disturb the habitat surrounding the trail. To accomplish this, they will enforce the trail’s closure after it has rained. When riders are injured park rangers also coordinate the appropriate medical or rescue response.

Neotropical migrant birdwatching is also a popular past time for visitors at Cedar Hill, and park rangers offer tours to watch the many species indigenous to the area:

Painted bunting

Yellow-billed cuckoo

Indigo bunting

Chuck-will’s widow

Ruby-crowned kinglet

American kestrel

Roadrunner

Red-tailed hawk

Another popular park ranger tour takes place at the Penn Farm Agricultural History Center. Notable in this installation is a historic reconstruction of what a family farm would have looked like in Texas around the latter half of the 19th century before farm animals had been replaced by machines. Park rangers guide visitors through the historic buildings and explain how things worked 100 years ago.

During holidays park rangers help to coordinate what can only be described as organized chaos. Every Memorial Day rangers direct around 20,000 campers on the rules and layout of the Cedar Hill State Park. Rangers also conduct extra boat patrols to ensure all visitors are being safe in the water, and extra land patrols to make sure barbeques and campfires are made according to regulation.

Park rangers also coordinate special events, such as the filming of a popular TV program starring Chuck Norris. Rangers kept curious onlookers at a safe distance as the film crew shot a chase scene involving an SUV that plummeted 140 feet from a cliff.

Garner State Park

An abundance of animals, fish, and wild plants combined with the cool clean water of the Frio River flowing through the Balcones Canyonlands has attracted visitors to the area of Garner State Park for over 10,000 years. Park rangers working as part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ensure that Garner remains the most popular state park by leading guided tours, providing interesting information to park visitors, and ensuring everyone stays safe by following the rules and obeying the laws. Rangers are active across the park’s 1,774 acres, where they stay busy managing park features and events that include:

Dancing at the concession building

One of the world’s largest Mexican free-tailed bat colonies in the world

Swimming and boating along 2.9 miles of the Frio River

Camping in the park’s seven designated campgrounds

Prospective applicants who would like to learn more about how to become a park ranger in Garner State Park can begin by reviewing the basic requirements for hire.

Working as a Park Ranger in Garner State Park

Park rangers serve Garner State Park’s visitors in a variety of roles:

As law enforcement

As medical first responders

As naturalists, trail guides, and interpreters

As park management

Park rangers who serve in a law enforcement capacity are important, as the sheer number of visitors to Garner is statistically bound to include some guests who are either outlaws or who do not have a regard for the park rules. Recently a wanted bank robber was arrested while holed up in a cabin near Garner State Park. Rangers work closely with the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers, and other law enforcement agencies.

Many Texans involved in search-and-rescue operations will be familiar with Garner State Park because for over 35 years it has been the location of the Texas Wilderness Rescue Competition. Park rangers welcome rescuers from across the country as they learn how to be better life savers in a rugged wilderness environment. Additionally every year park rangers themselves are also involved in water and hiker rescue operations of their own at Garner.

Every month park rangers lead a variety of activities geared towards visitors of all ages. These include:

Interpretation about the park’s founding as a Civilian Conservation Corps project that was completed in 1941

Historic information about the indigenous populations of humans who have lived and visited the area for at least 10,000 years

Acting as park managers, rangers collect fees from visitors, manage day-use areas, and take care of all other aspects associated with running a state park, whose demands in many ways resemble those of a small city. Garner State Park is also the most popular park of its kind for overnight camping in Texas. Park rangers work with campers in Garner’s seven campgrounds, providing supplies, registration, maps, and other information to the guests at:

Oakmont Camping Area

Shady Meadows Camping Area

Pecan Grove Camping Area

River Crossing Camping Area

Persimmon Hill Camping Area

Live Oak Camping Area

Rio Frio Camping Area

San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site

Located less than a half hour’s drive east from downtown Houston, the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site is one of the most popular attractions in Texas. The 1,200-acre site is visited by millions of people every year who come to see the famous sites and engage in the recreation the location is known for:

Battleship Texas

The site’s historic battlefield

Ascending the 567-foot tall monument

Enjoying the wildlife and beaches surrounding this natural area

Employed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, rangers play an integral part at this site, fulfilling duties such as:

Explaining the historic 1836 Battle of San Jacinto between Texans and the Mexican army, the result of which paved the way for Texas to become an independent country.

Providing information about the USS Texas, a battleship which saw action in both world wars and is now permanently moored as a museum at the state historic site.

Patrol the public facilities offered at the state historic site, including a picnic area, water faucets, barbecue grills and an enclosed pavilion.

Maintain law and order while providing medical assistance as needed.

Candidates who would like to become a park ranger at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site can start by reviewing the requirements would-be applicants need to possess.

Working at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site

Permanently moored in the Buffalo Bayou as part of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, the USS Texas battleship is a favorite attraction of both Houston residents and international tourists alike. Visitors can climb aboard the ship and explore its upper decks or lower engine room. Park rangers working at this historic site make sure everyone stays safe, and they also lead hard-hat tours in restricted areas of the ship.

Yuletide Texas, when the battleship is adorned with ornaments and lights

Confined space rescue: emergency rescue teams come from across the region to conduct confined space rescue training exercises within the close quarters of the USS Texas

Besides working on the USS Texas, park rangers participate in a range of other activities that take place throughout the San Jacinto historic site.

One popular activity among visitors to the site is the 2.5-mile walking interpretive trail covering the San Jacinto battleground. Park rangers may lead tourists along this trail and recount the history of each trail marker along the path, or may also patrol the site to ensure users are not having any problems. Some of the key designations in the historic battlefield include:

Location of initial engagement between Texas troops and the Mexican army

Site of General Santa Anna’s surrender

Route of important advancements to capture a Mexican cannon

Park rangers also take visitors through a marsh restoration site along a boardwalk trail. Starting in the parking lot and extending a little over 1,000 feet, ultimately to the tidal channel, this path exposes people to several different natural habitats contained within the national historic site. Rangers explain the wildlife and fauna associated with the grass prairie, tidal marshlands, and hardwood forests.

Park rangers additionally play an important role in the annual San Jacinto Day Fesitval every year on April 24th. Celebrating the victory of the Texans, rangers manage special events while also ensuring the smooth operation of the day’s merrymaking:

Living history exhibits featuring actors dressed in period clothing who:

Explain the hardships of war and how it affected families

Re-enact the historic battle

Give demonstrations about the guns, other weapons, and tools of the time

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